


The Bookstore Gets a Name in This One

by Cuffs_Alister



Series: Bats, Birds, Bookstores, and Bargains [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bad Coffee, Bookstores, Tim Drake gets in over his head, slice of life?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 08:44:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20061232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuffs_Alister/pseuds/Cuffs_Alister
Summary: Jason visits a bookstore in Gotham every Tuesday.  Tim is nosy.





	The Bookstore Gets a Name in This One

**Faerie Vale, Independent Bookstore: Gotham City**

Jason Todd didn’t have patterns. At least, not after he died. So when Tim realized he was going to the same little bookstore every Tuesday, he had to know. Know what, you ask? Not even Tim himself could have told you that.

Tim had to hand it to the owners, the bookstore was cute. He could see why they chose the name _Faerie Vale_. The difference between the outside and the inside was like night and day, almost literally. The clear glass picture windows at the front showed a space showered in warm light. In one window was a cozy little seating area, and in the other was a coffee pot accompanied by a display of books about coffee and tea. Through the door, there was a glint of unexpected color. Tim decided to enter the shop, his curiosity overwhelming.

He found himself skimming past the displays at the front, headed straight to where he saw that spark of color. Tim hypothesized what it could have been as he breezed through the stacks. Toys? Games? A display of brightly colored books? All of these crossed his mind. And all ended up being proven wrong when he came to the end of the stacks.

The colors on the wall repeated on the floor in the light of the setting sun. This was unusual, but then, the day had been unusually sunny for Gotham. 

Also though, it wasn’t really a wall at all. At the back of the space was a set of stained glass french doors. Tim stood in awe of their workmanship for a moment. The patterns were not jagged as he was accustomed to, but instead flowed and flowered as the plants they depicted. Around the doors as well, vines were painted reaching up toward the ceiling.

And _oh the ceiling_. Aside from the stained glass lighting fixtures hanging down, the ceiling was painted to resemble a forest canopy. Tim could have stared at that ceiling for ages and not noticed all of the little, intricate details. 

“I can see why Jason likes this place,” he said under his breath, before turning toward the approaching steps.

“Is there anything I can help you find?” a bookseller with bright blue hair asked. 

“Uh… no, I’m just browsing,” Tim said, once he found his certainty. “A person I know comes here a lot. I can see why; it’s beautiful.”

“We always love to hear that people like the store. I’ll be at the counter if you need anything.” She walked away with a spring in her step.

Tim wandered for a bit, browsing, but also attempting to work his way back toward the coffee. His thoughts kept going back to the door though. Was there anything behind there? If there wasn’t, could there be? There likely wasn’t anything there, based on how the sun came through the glass. A proposal took shape in Tim’s mind.

***

He wasn’t looking at the books. The boy (young man?) who walked in said he was browsing, but he hadn’t looked at a single book since he walked in. The ceiling, sure. The doors to the building’s courtyard, definitely. He’d even been eyeing the coffee machine from across the store. But why on Earth would he come into a bookstore and not look at books? 

The clerk wasn’t sure, but she thought he might have mentioned something about _Jason_. The likelihood of him referring to the man who came for lay downs every Tuesday and invariably used Bruce Wayne’s credit card was slim, but then, the resemblance between the two was… uncanny. 

This new boy had the same dark hair and blue eyes, and the same dark circles under them (if a little deeper). He was smaller though, in terms of his height and his thinness. The clerk couldn’t help but wonder if his smallness was natural, or if there was something else to it. She had her suspicions, largely founded on his attraction to the coffee machine. 

“Miss? Can I ask you a question?” The clerk was startled out of her musings by the boy. 

“Of course,” she said with a smile. After jumping of course. The boy was scarily silent on his feet.

“Ok… maybe two questions,” the boy muttered. The clerk got the distinct impression that she wasn’t supposed to hear him say that. A bit louder, the boy said, “I was wondering what’s behind the stained glass doors.”

“There’s a courtyard back there. It’s part of the historic construction of the building,” the clerk said. She leaned on the register. The boy tapped the top of his travel mug.

“May I ask another question?” There was an eyebrow quirk. The clerk held back a chuckle.

“Of course sir. How can I help you?” She leaned further toward the boy.

“What’s your name?” The boy flushed and scratched his head. “I mean… I’m Tim.”

The clerk reeled back a bit. Tim was the name of another of the Wayne boys. Then again, it was a pretty common name. 

“Um… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Are… Are you ok?” Tim had set his coffee down on the counter. His posture was open, but tense.

“You… you’re not Timothy Drake, are you?” she asked. She tried to stop her voice from wavering, but the nervousness still came through.

Tim scratched his head and shrugged. “Yeah, actually. I swear I’m not super weird though!” He put his hands up, metaphorically pushing the clerk away.

“It’s ok. You can call me Claire,” she said. She softened back to leaning on the register. “Seriously though, is there anything else I can help you with?”

Tim tapped his travel mug for a moment before answering. “Can I be frank with you?” 

“I thought your name was Tim?” Claire smiled, but this time it wasn’t kind. There was mischief behind it.

The thought crossed her mind that she may have broken Tim. That would be… well, problematic would be an understatement. 

Before the panic could set in properly though, Tim chuckled lightly. “Ok, that was a terrible joke,” he said.

“You still laughed.”

“While I’m criticizing though, your coffee is also terrible.” Tim said. It may have been the most unsubtle topic change Claire had ever experienced.

“I’m sorry it is not to your standards, Mr. Drake,” her smile was gone, and her voice oozed ire. It was free coffee; expectations should not have been high.

“I do have a solution though,” Tim said, backing off the counter. When Claire didn’t answer, he continued. “I would like to propose a collaboration with management here, at Faerie Vale.” As he finished, a smirk grew on his face. It was clear to Claire that he was used to getting what he wanted.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Drake, but we are an _independent_ bookstore, a designation which is rather opposite to the _Big Business_ that is Wayne Enterprises.” Claire’s face was stony, cold. 

***

Claire had to begrudgingly admit that the coffee shop was stunning -- all crystal and wrought iron. Tim had started a small garden of potted plants in the courtyard as well, many of which were used for specialty teas and coffee syrups. 

Faerie Vale saw an uptick in business as well. People wanted to visit the coffee shop, and plenty stopped to buy books on the way. It certainly was helpful that, per the agreement Tim came to with the bookstore owner, the only entrance to the coffee shop was through Faerie Vale. 

A dark smile crawled across Claire’s face. She was sure that, should Timothy Jackson Drake attempt to break his agreement with Faerie Vale, there would be Hell to pay.


End file.
